Car slams into Frederick County school bus, hurting four students

Injured motorist charged with negligent driving in crash near New Market

This Kia Soul plowed into the back of a school bus Tuesday afternoon in the 7500 block of Green Valley Road near New Market, injuring four students and the driver of the car, police and emergency officials said.

A Maryland State Police medevac helicopter transports the driver of car to a hospital following a collision with a school bus Tuesday afternoon in the 7500 block of Green Valley Road near New Market that also injured four students, police and emergency officials said.

Tom Fedor/The Gazette

The 7500 block of Green Valley Road, just north of Old Annapolis Road, near New Market was closed for more than an hour Tuesday afternoon after a car crashed into the rear of a school bus, injuring four students and the driver, police and emergency officials said.

Tom Fedor/The Gazette

Michael P. Dmuchowski, a spokesman for the county’s fire and rescue service, at the crash scene after a car slammed into the rear of a school bus Tuesday afternoon in the 7500 block of Green Valley Road near New Market.

Tom Fedor/The Gazette

This Kia Soul plowed into the back of a school bus Tuesday afternoon in the 7500 block of Green Valley Road near New Market, injuring four students and the driver of the car, police and emergency officials said.

Maryland State Police charged a Union Bridge man with negligent driving after his car crashed into the back of a school bus Tuesday afternoon, injuring four students, on Md. Route 75 just north of Old Annapolis Road.

The driver of the car, Timothy Deane Jr., 31, was flown by Maryland State Police helicopter to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown with non-life-threatening injuries, according to state police.

A hospital spokesman could not be reached Wednesday morning for an update on his condition.

The school bus, driven by Jean Brandenburg, 59, of Thurmont had stopped at about 3:27 p.m., with its flashing red lights activated, in the northbound lanes of Md. Route 75, also known as Green Valley Road, to discharge students, police said in a news release.

Brandenburg had just begun to proceed to the next stop when the car slammed into the rear of the bus, police said.

The investigation by the troopers found Deane at fault and cited his fatigue as a contributing factor, police said.

Four of the students, all of whom attend New Market Middle School, were transported to Frederick Memorial Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

All four students had minor injuries, said Mike Dmuchowski, a spokesman for the county’s fire and rescue service. Their names and conditions were not available Wednesday morning.

Micah Hewitson, 14, an eighth-grader at New Market Middle School, was lying on the bus seat two rows from the back when he felt the impact of the crash, he said.

“The car hit us, and I went flying out of my seat,” he said.

The car, a Kia Soul, rebounded backward after hitting the bus’ back bumper. Much of the front end of the car was smashed.